Above $3, gas prices have surged nearly 40 cents in a month

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, April 6, 2007

Anna Diaz of Federal Way did, too. She's been watching prices climb all month and trying to adjust her driving habits.

On Friday, as the state average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline ticked past $3, according to AAA, Diaz watched as the pump registered $55 for 17 1/2 gallons of midgrade gas for her Chevy Tahoe.

"It's expensive," said Diaz, 24, who stopped at a Ballard gas station to fill up. "I try to avoid the little short trips."

In the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area, gas prices are up 39.6 cents from a month ago, continuing a rapid rise in the price of unleaded gasoline, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Locally, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas tipped over $3 on Thursday, and hit $3.02 on Friday.

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Spring-break travel also contributes to increased demand between March and April, according to the Energy Information Administration's weekly petroleum report. Two key factors -- crude oil inputs to refineries and total gasoline imports -- both fell last week.

"As gasoline demand began to grow in earnest in April, gasoline supply has failed to keep pace, resulting in continued significant stock declines and sharp upward pressure on gasoline prices in recent weeks," the agency reported.

He doesn't anticipate dramatic falls in prices, but he predicted that by mid-May "prices will be a little lower than they are now."

Prices have soared in recent weeks, reaching a national average of $2.72 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, 22.3 cents more than a month ago and 12.6 cents more than this time a year ago, according to the AAA survey of 60,000 gas stations across the country.

As of Friday, a gallon of midgrade gasoline in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area averaged nearly $3.13, and premium about $3.28, according to AAA.

Brad Lenz, 45, can't figure out why prices are so high but he's come to expect it this time of year.

"Definitely, I feel it this time of year," the Ballard resident said as he and a friend filled several 5-gallon gas containers for his motorboat. He paid $74.76 for 24 gallons. "Does it have anything to do with the war?"

To avoid high gas costs this summer, Lenz bought a moped and plans to ride it to work and leave his four-wheel-drive at home. He figured he could recoup the moped's cost by saving money on gas this summer.

In the past, the typical summer driving season occurred between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with a peak around the Fourth of July, according to the EIA. While that still holds true, demand has shifted to earlier in the year.

Ray said prices typically come down in May when all the refineries are back up, and prices bounce up and down through the summer.

Even when prices taper off, as they tend to in the winter, they never go back to the same levels as the year before, she said.

Every week, he records the price of gasoline in his neighborhood and posts it online. He won't go out of his way to find cheap gasoline, but if he has errands to run in a particular neighborhood and there's cheap gas, he'll make a point to stop and fill up.

"Around my neighborhood, the lowest is $3.03 now," said the stay-at-home dad who lives in Ravenna.

The higher gas prices affect his daily routine. He used to pick up his kids from school and they'd drive to Northgate or Shoreline to get something to eat.